Ecola State Park

Let’s try this again.

No more back pain, no more foot pain, no more ice or snow, and not much work. This should help us get back to hiking.

It would be nice if some of the snow would melt in a few more places though.

We don’t get out for many epic hikes, no long weekends backpacking, no overnighters, but we do get out, and it’s better than staying in town.

We made quick run to Ecola State Park to remedy the cabin fever that one of the coldest, snowiest winters has brought Portland in a while and it was well worth it. A stroll in the woods and a stroll on the beach will fix a lot of things.

One thing to note is that the trail running north from the parking lot is closed. You can see we didn’t listen. You end up in an active landslide where the ground is cracked and uneven, trees are falling everywhere, and the ground is very slowly moving (for now). Don’t do it. You can make it to a couple of viewpoints and you should turn back.

I’m usually pretty risk averse and I usually stop when I ask a question starting with “Do you think I should…?” Just the asking of the question admits there is some risk involved and that’s probably a good time to stop.

Shortly after turning back from the slide, just when we were feeling safe, we heard a rockslide, nothing big, but debris perhaps about the volume of a dump truck with a few larger trees mixed in took a dive off a cliff just off the trail. So there’s that.